Category: Disney

Our last day was spent at Disney’s Hollywood Studios. I had pretty low expectations going into the day because I didn’t remember liking the park very much when we had our season passes years ago. After a full day at the park I was pleasantly surprised, they really had something for everyone.

We started the day by separating. The littler kids and I went to visit some characters while the big kids rode Tower of Terror and Rock’n Roller Coaster. I must tell you there are a ton of character greeting spots at the park and the lines are minimal.

The littlest Tower of Terror rider.

We then went to see the Playhouse Disney show. I chuckled while we were watching this show because my children have only seen these shows on television a handful of times but knew all the catchy phrases and songs. This is a fun show for the younger crowd.

There is also a character greeting outside of the theater.

We went to get fast passes for the Toy Story ride and on the way stopped to see Prince Caspian. As you can see our oldest was thrilled to meet him!

The “show” for Prince Caspien is a little lame, basically you watch a recap of the movie. I would skip it unless you are a die hard fan.

We spent some time at the “Honey I Shrunk the Kids” playground. This is a fun area to let your kids burn off some energy. Be careful though, it had rained the day before and the flooring was very slippery.

Some time during the day we happened upon the Power Rangers. I don’t think my children have ever seen an episode of the Power Rangers, but they were loved posing with them. We probably spent 30 minutes going from Ranger to Ranger.

The kids were so excited about the Power Rangers that they spent the rest of the day practicing their moves.

We also saw Scully.

The Indiana Jones Stunt Spectacular was a family favorite since Dad was chosen to be an extra! This is really an awesome show, especially if you have little boys! They will love all the fire, guns, and action! After seeing several shows where people are chosen from the audience I think that you have a better chance of being picked if you are wearing bright colors and wave your hands like a madman!

Most of the family rode the Star Wars ride. It got mixed reviews from the kids.

We had lunch at a great place called the Studio Catering Company. It is close to the playground. They had great food for a small price (well, a small price for Disney). They actually had healthy choices on the menu. My husband had chicken with beans and rice, I had a chicken ceasar wrap, and the kids had macaroni with grapes and carrots. It was $50 for all 8 of use to eat.
After lunch we rode the most popular ride the in park, Toy Story Midway Mania! This is a cool ride! Everyone loved it, but if you want to love it like we did, get a fast pass. The line was about 50 minutes on a slow day at the park.

My only regret of the day was trying to see the block party. Even though we had good seats, the block party actually was very difficult to see. Not to mention people pushing their way in front of the kids to get a better view for themselves. My advice, skip the block party and go see a show. You won’t be missing anything.

We had great seats for the Beauty and the Beast show… front row!

Even though they were tired, my girls loved this show, and there is enough of Gaston and the Beast to keep little boys attention too.

We visited The Magic of Disney Animation in order to find Mr. Incredible. If you don’t want to go on the tour you can enter the gift shop, go all the way to the back and follow the hallways to the characters. (Note: you can now visit the characters from UP at this location)

We also saw the Little Mermaid show as well as went on the Great Movie Ride. The Mermaid show is great and the Movie Ride was interesting, although could scare little kids.

We left the park a little before closing time. We had a fabulous day, the kids loved all the kids and shows and the park was not too crowded. I highly recommend this park as one your whole family will love!

I have decided to end my 30 Days of Disney series with the posts I wrote several months ago when we were visiting the parks. I wrote a post per park, so tonight it is all about Epcot.

Today we headed out bright and early for Epcot. Arrive early so you will be able to speed through the lines the first hour or two the park is open. We started with Spaceship Earth while my husband went to get fast passes for Soarin’.

We then walked to The Land and rode the boat through the gardens and by the time we were done we could ride Soarin’. I stayed behind with our two year, but the unanimous decision was this ride is a “must-do.” During the morning we visited most of the pavilions in Future World.

A few Future World tips. Get to the Character Spot early. This is a chance to meet Micky, Minnie, Donald, Goofy and Pluto. We happened upon this building on our way to The Land. It is marked on the Epcot map and easy to find. There was no line to see any of the characters and the kids were able to spend a good amount of time visiting with them. This is the best place to see the characters in the park and it is free.

Visit Club Cool, this little oasis gives you a chance to taste sodas from other countries. I did not see it on the map, but it is directly across from the large fountain on the same side of the park as Imagination! It is all you can drink, for free. The kids think this is better than getting ice cream so I highly recommend stopping by.

Don’t forget to visit Turtle Talk with Crush. This fun interactive show was the highlight of our day. (The kids are still talking about it 6 months later!)

After visiting most of Future World we headed to the World Showcase. This part of Epcot is a little less appealing to toddlers. We skipped most of the films because we knew we would be dealing with fidgety kids. We did watch several of the street performers. They are always excellent and you can find show times in your guide.

After much debate we ended up eating in America. I do not recommend this as a dining option… but we were nearing meltdown with the little one and we made a strategic decision to go with hot dogs. In my opinion the food was overpriced and didn’t taste very good at all.

This kids did participate in a little parade with the fife and drum players in America. They were awarded copies of the Declaration of Independence for participating and they held them tight for the rest of the day.

We rode the Grand Fiesta Tour in Mexico and the Maelstrom in Norway two times each. There were no lines on any ride we went on today so by 5:30 we had visited almost everything in the park. Since we have Animal Kingdom tomorrow we decided to head back to my in-laws so everyone could get a good night’s sleep.

Here are a few pictures from Epcot.
At the Character Spot… the much requested picture of me!

With Goofy

Trying to get a picture with all the kids…

The Nemo ride ~ I was seriously unimpressed by this ride. You sit in a shell and watch bits of the movie as you slowly move through the ride. I was very glad we did not wait in line to ride this, it would not have been worth it!

Another picture of “goofy”

This fun little photo-op is in The Seas.

Club Cool, all you can drink soda, for free!

The fountain across from Club Cool.

I have decided to end my 30 Days of Disney series with the posts I wrote several months ago when we were visiting the parks. I wrote a post per park, so tonight it is all about Animal Kingdom.

I must admit my dad talked me into a trip to Animal Kingdom. I had visited twice previously, the first time I don’t really remember and the second time it was about 1oo degrees and not very fun. This time it was a cool day and we were joined by my sister in law, 3 nephews and my father.

My one tip for this park would be if you have a toddler, use a backpack carrier. If they are seated up high they will be able to see all of the animals. We ended up buckling and unbuckling our toddler out of the stroller constantly throughout the day so she could get a better view.

Animal Kingdom is a beautiful park. Most of the walkways are shaded and the landscaping is gorgeous! We arrived early and headed to the back of the park for the safari. Most of the animals are more active in the morning so we wanted to see as many as possible. There was no wait for the ride and we were able to see all the animals moving around except for the lions, but apparently they don’t move around much anyway.

As you are walking through the park be on the lookout for Divine (or Devine) the living tree. She is hard to spot, but basically it is a woman on stilts covered in leaves. She hangs out in the landscaping, and is really fun to watch.

Photo by thecrystalskull

Be on the look out for character spots as you walk through the park. Right after the park opens is a great time for meet and greet. The lines are short and the characters are plenty.

After the safari we picked up fast passes to Everest and explored Asia. We walked on a few nature paths and saw more animals. When it was time for the big kids to ride Everest I took the smaller ones to Dinoland. This place is like a fish out of water, it is loud, bright, and a bit obnoxious. We rode the TriceraTop Spin several times, so many I actually lost count. The park was so empty the attendant allowed us to stay on the ride instead of exiting and getting back in line.

Safari

TriceraTop Spin

Then our two year old and I stayed behind as everyone else rode Dinosaur. I do not recommend this ride for children under 10 or maybe even 12. My four year old was tall enough to ride so we let her go and all the kids were terrified. So much so that it almost ruined our entire day. We ended up buying ice cream for everyone in order to stop the shaking and crying.

A few of the kids would have been content to stay in the Fossil Playground for the entire day. I don’t have any pictures of this fun playground because I spent the entire time keeping up with the two year old. It is a great place to go and take a break with the little ones.

We saw the Lion King show and the Nemo show, which are both excellent. Nemo is an amazing puppet show and Lion King is a singing/ acrobatic/ dancing carnival. The kids and grown ups loved both shows.

Photo courtesy of armadillo444.

The only negative about the entire day was that Animal Kingdom’s hours were from 9-5. Although we saw almost everything it would have been easy to spend another day there. It was great fun and I can’t wait until our next trip!

More pictures from our day.

When visiting Epcot don’t forget to visit the Kidcot Fun Stops. These fun craft stations geared towards preschoolers are located throughout Epcot.

This was a great activity to keep my preschooler entertained while the big kids rode the big rides.  In the World Showcase your little one can interact with Cast Members and learn about their native countries while making beautiful masks they can take home.

The Kidcot locations are:

Kidcot Fun Stops in Epcot Future World:

• The Land Pavilion (near Garden Grill)
• The Seas with Nemo & Friends (Sea Base upper level)

Kidcot Fun Stops in Epcot World Showcase:

• Mexico Pavilion (near Animales Fantasticos)
• Norway Pavilion (The Puffin’s Roost)
• China Pavilion (near exit to Reflections of China)
• Germany Pavilion (Volkunst)
• Italy Pavilion (outside near La Bottega Italiana)
• American Adventure Pavilion (outside near Heritage Manor Gifts)
• Japan Pavilion (in Bijutsu-kan Gallery)
• Morocco Pavilion (Marketplace in the Medina)
• France Pavilion (Souvenirs de France)
• United Kingdom Pavilion (The Toy Soldier)
• Canada Pavilion (exit from O Canada! attraction)

Working on her Kidcot craft in The Land Pavillion while the big kids rode Soarin’.